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Last edited November 20, 2025


Saptagram
সপ্তগ্রাম
Saraswati River at Saptagram
Location of Gauḍa in West Bengal, India
Saptagram is located in India
Saptagram
Location of Gauḍa in India
Alternative nameSatgaon
LocationHooghly district, West Bengal, India
Coordinates22°58′00″N 88°23′00″E / 22.9667°N 88.3833°E / 22.9667; 88.3833
TypePort, settlement
History
FoundedPrior to 9th century
AbandonedStarted declining 17th to 18th century

Saptagram (colloquially called Satgaon) was an ancient major port, the chief city and sometimes capital of southern Bengal, in ancient and medieval times of Bengal, the location presently being in the Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is about 4 km from Bandel, a major rail junction. By the early twentieth century, the place had dwindled to a group of insignificant huts.[1] The port had to be abandoned because of the silting up and consequent drying of the Saraswati River.

Etymology[edit | edit source]

The word Saptagram means seven villages. These are identified as Bansberia, Kristapur, Basudebpur, Nityanandapur, Sibpur, Sambachora and Baladghati.[2][3]

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Sayed Jamaluddin Mosque at Adi Saptagram

History[edit | edit source]

Silver Tanka of the Delhi Sultan Ghiyath al-din Jalal Shah, struck in Arshah Satgaon (Saptagram) mint

According to Binoy Ghosh, Tamralipta, the ancient port, started declining from the 8th century, owing to river silting, and Saptagram possibly started gaining in importance as a port from the 9th to 10th century. The Saptagram port, along with its business centre, had become important in the pre-Muslim era, during the rule of the Palas and Senas. In the Muslim era, Saptagram was an important administrative centre right from the beginning, and the period 14th to 16th century was considered the golden age of Saptagram. In 1565, Maharaja Rudranarayan of Bhurshut annexed it from the Pathans. In 1592, Saptagram was recaptured by the Pathans. In the 17th century, Bandel-Hooghly-Chinsurah started gaining in importance. From the 18th century, Kolkata started emerging as the main business and cultural centre of Bengal.[4]

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. Cotton, H.E.A., Calcutta Old and New, 1909/1980, p. 2, General Printers and Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
  2. "Temples of Bengal". Saptagram. hindubooks.org. Retrieved 5 August 2007.
  3. Patree, Purnendu (1995) [First published 1979]. Purano Kolkatar Kathachitra (in Bengali). Dey's Publishing. pp. 65–71. ISBN 81-7079-751-9.
  4. Ghosh, Binoy, Paschim Banger Sanskriti, (in Bengali), part II, 1976 edition, pages 312–316, Prakash Bhaban, Kolkata.

External links[edit | edit source]

Template:Non-extant Bengal places